Long relegated to the world of science fiction, lasers and rail guns are increasingly appearing in real life.
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The US military is getting closer to deploying lasers and rail guns — here's how they might be used
Neither is operational yet, but the capabilities mean they could be deployed in a number of roles against a variety of targets.
An Apache helicopter firing a laser weapon.
Railguns use electromagnets to fire projectiles at supersonic speeds, while lasers fire pure energy bursts.
In 2012, the US Navy test-fired a rail gun for the first time and later announced plans to put one on the guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt.
In 2014, the Navy mounted and tested a laser on the USS Ponce, an amphibious transport dock, successfully taking out the engine of a small inflatable boat containing a rocket-propelled grenade.
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More recently, the US Army successfully tested a laser mounted on an Apache helicopter, and the Air Force is planning to put lasers on AC-130s.
Despite these many successful tests, the two weapons aren't currently operational, Bob Freeman, a spokesman for the Office of Naval Research, notwithstanding CNN's recent story claiming that the laser aboard the Ponce is "r
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